Fragments of the Parthenon Marbles exhibited at the Athens Archaeological Museum were reunited in the Acropolis Museum on Monday during a symbolic ceremony.
The handover ceremony at the Acropolis Museum was attended by Greek Culture Minister, Lina Mendoni, and Greek Prime Minister, Kyriakos Mitsotakis, who again called for the return of the Parthenon Marbles from the British Museum to Greece.
“This sends a strong message for the reunification of all parts of this unique monument to humanity,” Mitsotakis said.
A fragment from the Parthenon is being installed at the Acropolis Museum on Monday. Credit: Greek PM Press Office.
“It is a first, but very important, step in the effort to gather here at the Acropolis Museum, all the smaller and larger parts of the Parthenon that are now scattered in various museums around the world.”
Mitsotakis then went on to highlight recent efforts made by Greece to call for the reunification of the Parthenon Marbles from the British Museum and stressed his belief that UK Prime Minister, Boris Johnson, “will not block any possible future agreement [on the Marbles].”
Precious fragments of the Parthenon Sculptures were reunited today in the Acropolis Museum. It was a small but significant step, and I hope others now play their part in completing this important journey to reunify a truly unique monument of human civilisation. pic.twitter.com/AhroWEwxEp
“If necessary, he could initiate the amendment of the British law on museums in order to facilitate the reunification of the Parthenon sculptures. There are no more substantial arguments to delay this important issue…” Mitsotakis said.
The fragments being returned on Monday were from the frieze, the metopes and pediments of the Parthenon. One of them is the head of a youth from a sculpture that is currently held in the Louvre in Paris, while the second is from the north section of the frieze.
The event ended with the placement of the shards in their permanent positions.
Maria Sakkari battled past Slovenia’s Tamara Zidansek in three sets to reach the second round of the Adelaide International on Monday and kick off the new WTA season.
The 26-year-old world number six Greek was on court for just over two hours before seeing off Zidansek 6-2, 0-6, 6-4.
Sakkari, admitted she had been well below her best as she warms-up for the Australian Open later this month.
“I didn’t feel great to be perfectly honest,” she said.
“It wasn’t a good match from my side but I found a way through it, I did everything I had to do to win -which sometimes is enough- and I’m excited to be in the second round.”
Third seed, Sakkari will now play either American Shelby Rogers or a qualifier.
“I want to be ready for the next match and yes, I am here to win this tournament but my main goal is to be prepared for the Australian Open.”
Asked whether she will participate in the upcoming Sydney Tennis Classic, Sakkari said it all depends on how far she will progress at the Adelaide International.
“I am not confident with moving states due to COVID so at this point we will try not to take unnecessary risks.”
Last year apart from making two Grand Slam semifinals, Sakkari debuted at the WTA Finals, broke into the top-10 for the first time in her career and was also announced Greece’s best female athlete.
Conveying her message to the youngsters who look up to her, the World No 6 says that she owes a lot to her team and to the values her parents instilled to her.
“Growing up, my parents taught me that no matter how far I reach in my career I need to be myself and remain humble. I am where because of those values and hard work.”
In 2021 Sakkari enjoyed the best season of her career at the age of 26 and now she definitely has started the season right in Australia with the Greek community by her side.
“It feels amazing. Wherever I go in Australia I see Greek people who appreciate what we have achieved so far and admire us. It’s great,” Sakkari concluded.
Greek Australian soccer legend, Ulysses Kokkinos, has passed away today at the age of 73.
Kokkinos’ death has rocked the community, with many posting tributes in honour of the former soccer player and manager.
“It’s with sadness to hear of the sad loss of former South Melbourne FC, Panathinaikos and Football Victoria state team player Ulysses Kokkinos, whom I had the pleasure to meet and interact with over the years. Rest In Peace Ulysses,” the Head of Marcomms & Corp Affairs at Football Australia, Peter Filopoulos, wrote on Twitter.
It’s with sadness to hear of the sad loss of former @smfc@PaoEnglish and @footballvic state team player Ulysses Kokkinos whom I had the pleasure to meet and interact with over the years. Rest In Peace Ulysses.
Kokkinos is known primarily for his career in Victorian soccer, in particular with South Melbourne FC. He also played in his native Greece with Panathinaikos, Paniliakos and Panserraikos.
In the early 1970s, he represented the state of Victoria against various touring sides, making five appearances and scoring twice.
We’re coming to the end of another year and although the news cycle has been dominated by COVID-19, there have also been some fantastic community stories which have captured the attention of The Greek Herald’s readers.
From 100-year-old Christina Giannakis sharing her secrets to a long life, to celebrations across Australia for the Greek Revolution bicentenary, and even a 104-year-old living Anzac who fought in the Battle of Crete, here’s our list of the 15+1 most-read The Greek Herald stories of 2021.
In August this year, former NSW Premier Gladys Berejiklian responded to a letter by 7-year-old, George Vrahas, where he expressed how upset he was that he was not able to celebrate his birthday due to the lockdown.
In her response, Ms Berejiklian wrote that “it’s important that we follow the health advice to keep us all safe during this time” and signed off with a personalised signature: ‘Auntie Gladys.’
Greek Australians, Lefka Georgantis, Helen Logas and Aphrodite Lambrou, took a leap of faith seven years ago and used their business experience to develop a new Greek paradise, the White Pebble Suites in Pollonia, Milos.
Lefka told The Greek Herald that the fact White Pebble Suites is a ‘Greek Australian hotel’ makes it unique in its own right and brings a new experience to the people of Greece, while simultaneously making Australians feel at home.
From Canberra to Melbourne, Darwin, Perth, Adelaide, Brisbane and Sydney, the whole of Australia celebrated the 200th anniversary of the Greek Revolution this year by proudly displaying Greek flags and lighting their iconic monuments blue and white.
The Greek Herald also launched its #GreekFlagWeek campaign, asking people to share on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram how we proudly Fly, Share and Post our Greek flags. The movement was a success, with one reader, Titan Cranes, even sending in a photo of his Greek flag flying proudly on a huge crane!
A migrant from the Greek island of Kefallonia, Christina Giannakis, celebrated her 100th birthday this year with friends and family at the South Australian aged care home where she currently lives.
In an interview with The Greek Herald, Ms Giannakis looked back at her life and migration journey to Australia along with her youngest son, Chris Giannakis, and shared her secrets to a long life.
“My faith is what gives me strength. I am healthy and health is wealth,” she said at the time.
Photo: Georgia Politis Photography / Republished with permission.
Thousands poured into the Darwin Esplanade over the June long weekend to get their filling of yiros, baklava and Mythos beer as the Darwin GleNTi returned with a bang.
The festival, which was cancelled last year due to the COVID-19 pandemic, is organised annually by the Greek Orthodox Community of Northern Australia (GOCNA) and this year it marked 200 years of the Greek Revolution.
Pastitsio (Pasta Bake) is Greece’s answer to Italian lasagna. Yiayia Rose and her granddaughter, Christina, from Homemade By Rose shared their authentic recipe with us and you loved it!
Homemade by Rose started a few years ago after Christina began to share Yiayia Rose’s traditional recipes on social media as “a way of documenting and keeping our traditional cooking going.”
The COVID-19 vaccination drive was ramped up across Australia this year and many of The Greek Herald‘s readers were interested in a number of initiatives launched by their local Greek communities.
In NSW, the gymnasium of All Saints Grammar in Belmore opened to the public on Wednesday, August 18, as a pop-up vaccination clinic. On opening day, hundreds of people, both from the Greek and wider community, turned out to get their vaccination.
At Belmore Sports Ground, a steady stream of cars turned up as people went to receive their Pfizer or AstraZeneca vaccines at Sydney’s first drive through vaccination clinic. The clinic was in the heart of one of Sydney’s 12 hotspot Local Government Areas and was at the spiritual home of the Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs (a NRL team with a large number of Greek supporters).
In Victoria, the Greek Community of Melbourne (GCM) also launched a pop-up vaccination hub at its Greek Orthodox Church of St George in Thornbury to help the local community get their COVID-19 vaccine.
At 104 years of age, Alf Carpenter is one of Australia’s oldest surviving Anzacs. He’s lived through two world wars, the Great Depression, 9/11 and now the coronavirus pandemic, but none are as personal to him as the Battle of Crete – which this year marked its 80th anniversary.
Mr Carpenter spoke with The Greek Herald about his time during the battle and described how the reception Greek people gave the Anzac contingent when they arrived was unbelievable.
“I was never afraid of the enemy, they had equal chances with us and the Greeks couldn’t do enough for us,” he said in the interview.
Photo (left): In Their Own Image: Greek-Australians National Project Archives. Photo (right): Effy Alexakis. Both republished with permission.
Walking into Olympia Cafe in the rural New South Wales town of Bigga is like going back in time to the good old days of Greek milkshake bars and fish and chip shops. There are still the pristine floorboards, marble-top tables, a soda fountain and even an old-fashioned milkshake maker.
Standing proudly amongst all these things is 84-year-old, Helen Faros, and she told The Greek Herald exclusively that the cafe celebrates 95 years this year and she has no plans of slowing down any time soon.
From a young age, Angelina Lati was always healthy, bubbly and energetic. That is until, at the tender age of 15, she received the heartbreaking diagnosis of Lafora Disease, which is a form of childhood dementia.
In an informative article, The Greek Herald shared the facts around childhood dementia and spoke with Angelina’s mother, Niki Markou, who shared Angelina’s slow decline.
“It’s like she’s fading away. That’s the only way to describe it. You watch old videos back and that’s when you really realise the difference of how she was and how she is now and how quick the progression is,” Ms Markou explained.
Recognised as Australia’s most respected, trusted and longest-running children’s series, it was known that if you had made it on the ABC program ‘Play School,’ you had made your mark on the television industry.
For Greek Australian actor, Alex Papps, being accepted as a cast member in 2005 was a dream come true. Now, 15 years after his debut on screen, The Greek Herald spoke exclusively with Alex, who reminisced on his wonderful experiences on Play School and his Greek heritage.
To observe the powerful connection that Greek Australians have with sport, people need to look no further than the leaders of some of the nation’s biggest sporting clubs, stretching across the NRL and A-League.
Yet, there are none prouder of their heritage than Jason Sourasis, Chairman of Western United FC.
Mr Sourasis spoke exclusively with The Greek Herald about his struggle to keep the club’s historical importance alive, while building its relevance with second and third generation Greek-Australians.
At least 14 prominent Greek Australians in the areas of community service, visual arts, health, architecture and sport were recognised in the Queen’s Birthday Honours List for 2021.
Greek-owned family business, Christopher’s Cake Shop, has been serving a variety of handcrafted cakes, pastries and Greek inspired desserts across 10 locations in Sydney since 1955. But despite this success, they haven’t been immune to the critical labour shortage impacting Australia’s hospitality industry due to the coronavirus pandemic.
We spoke with the CEO of Christopher’s Cake Shop, Kyriakos Panayi, about the impact of this shortage on his business and he said that without the support of JobKeeper payments “we were looking at closing six out of the ten shops.”
To mark International Women’s Day this year, The Greek Herald launched its 21 Women for 2021 series where we spoke with 21 Australian women of Greek heritage and from different career paths.
The trailblazing women who were interviewed include:
Cyprus and Greece have joined forces in a “milestone” collaboration to use their scientific expertise in tackling forest fires, The Cyprus Mailreports.
The Cyprus Institute (CyI), the National and Kapodistrian University of Athens (NKUA), and the National Observatory of Athens (NOA), recently signed a memorandum of understanding with the aim of joining forces to prevent and manage forest fires.
According to a written statement, the deal formalised “many years of research and cooperation” between the three top institutions and was necessary as the climate crisis has increased the frequency of catastrophic forest and suburban fires.
(1) utilise the know-how and experience acquired by the three institutions regarding the issue of forest fires, and
(2) develop an integrated action plan to incorporate, organise and utilise the existing knowledge of the institutions for the effective response to forest fires at all stages.
The Memorandum of Understanding was signed by the director and chairman of the board of NOA, professor Manolis Plionis, the vice-rector for research and education of NKUA, professor Nikolaos Voulgaris, and The Cyprus Institute’s president, Professor Costas Papanicolas.
New research by luggage store app, Bounce, has listed Greece as the sixth best country in the world for wine tourism.
According to Ekathimerini, the study looked at factors such as wine consumption and production, number of vineyards and wine tours, and the average cost of a bottle of wine.
Greece received a score of 5.24 points out of ten and ranked strongest for the high ratio of guided wine tours available in the country – 4,685 per 100,000 inhabitants.
Coming out on top though was Italy with a score of 8.28, while Greece ranked behind Portugal, Spain, France and New Zealand but ahead of world-renowned producers such as Chile and Australia.
99-year-old Betty White, who’s maternal family hails from Greece, passed away on December 31 just three weeks shy of her 100th birthday.
Betty’s death was confirmed by her friend and agent, Jeff Witjas. No specific cause was cited.
“I will miss her terribly and so will the animal world that she loved so much,” he told PEOPLE in a statement.
Betty White (right) played in the iconic The Golden Girls TV show.
“I don’t think Betty ever feared passing because she always wanted to be with her most beloved husband Allen Ludden. She believed she would be with him again.”
The Emmy Award-winning comic actress was a TV fixture for decades. She was best known for playing a man-hungry TV hostess on The Mary Tyler Moore Show in the 1970s and a ditsy widow on The Golden Girls in the 1980s.
Speaking to People in an interview published on December 28, White said she felt “so lucky to be in such good health and feel so good at this age.”
Betty White.
In the interview, Betty also shared her secrets to living a long life and encouraged everyone to “taste every moment.”
Prior to her death, White enjoyed a quiet life in Los Angeles playing crossword puzzles and card games. She also liked to watch animal documentaries, Jeopardy! and sports, particularly golf.
On January 17, fans can remember the star’s legacy with a special movie event called “Betty White: 100 Years Young – A Birthday Celebration.”
Team Greece believe they can make a strong impact at the ATP Cup in Sydney this year due to their past experience at the tournament and the constant support of Greek Australian fans.
The team is captained by Apostolos Tsitsipas and consists of Stefanos Tsitsipas, Petros Tsitsipas, Michail Pervolarakis, Markos Kalovelonis and Aristotelis Thanos.
Speaking at the ATP Cup Media Day on Thursday, Stefanos Tsitsipas, who is leading Team Greece, said he has faith his team “can sort it out in two matches [and] not have to go all the way to three [in each tie].”
“I think we have a team of young players that are just hungrier than anyone else. That’s what makes us kind of stand out and we have so much energy starting next week,” Tsitsipas said.
The World No.4 added that representing Greece on the ATP Cup level “means a lot” to the whole team and they hope to make Greek fans in Australia proud.
“I know there is plenty of Greek-Australians that are going to go wild watching us play,” he said.
Greece plays Team Poland, featuring Hubert Hurkacz, in Group D on Saturday, then Diego Schwartzman-led Argentina on Monday and Georgia on Wednesday.
New coronavirus cases in Greece smashed a fourth record in as many days on Thursday, reaching the unprecedented number of 35,580, the National Organisation for Public Health (EODY) has reported.
This is the highest number of cases ever recorded in the country in a 24-hour period since the start of the pandemic.
Fatalities also rose to 72 on Thursday, taking the total COVID death toll to 20,708.
Greece reported a record 35,580 COVID cases ahead of the New Year.
These case numbers come as new, stricter measures to thwart the spread of the Omicron variant in Greece came into force on Thursday morning.
Entertainment and food service venues are now allowed no standing customers or music and can only have a maximum of six per table.
New restrictions have been introduced in Greece.
High-protection KN95 or FFP2 masks, or alternatively a double layer of other masks, are also mandatory in supermarkets and public transport, as well as by employees in the food service sector.
In public and private sector workplaces, half of staff now have to work from home and staggered shifts have been reintroduced.
Since the start of the pandemic, there have been 1,170,293 confirmed coronavirus cases in Greece.
All services for the Blessing of the Waters in New South Wales and Victoria have been cancelled for next year, according to a statement by the Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of Australia.
The decision to cancel the events was made due to the rapid spread of COVID-19 in both states, and was announced following an extraordinary online meeting chaired by His Eminence Archbishop Makarios of Australia.
Further to this, the services for the annual cutting of the Vasilopita in Sydney (January 3), in Melbourne (January 2) and Northcote (January 3) have also been cancelled.
The decision to cancel was made following an Extraordinary online meeting of the Bishops of the Holy Archdiocese of Australia, chaired by His Eminence Archbishop Makarios of Australia.
A common service for the cutting of the Vasilopita will be held after the Divine Liturgy on January 1 by their Graces the Bishops at the churches where they will be liturgising.
In late January, an official celebratory dinner scheduled for the patron feast day of Archbishop Makarios has also been cancelled.
